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Lightning kills six
14-year-old girl killed
Cost of treatment deters cancer patients
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Cotton plants wilt as temperature shoots up
Wife among five held for killing man
Rajiv Gandhi remembered
Mansa cops solve 2 cases in 12 hours
Pharmacists Assn plans to stage stir
Bid to grab mission school’s land in Moga
Training camp for farmers
Seminar on lasik procedure
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Lightning kills six
Lambi (Muktsar) May 21 Three units of the Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP), Lehra Mohabat, tripped while a child was reported killed in a wall collapse triggered by high velocity winds in Parasram Nagar area of Bathinda. Besides, recently sown cotton crop was flattened in thousands of acres and kinnow plants, in the early fruit bearing stage, were reported damaged in orchards in the region. Hundreds of trees were uprooted while the Sukhchain and Lambi distributaries got breached and electric wires were snapped from poles, causing disruption in power supply to various pockets. Manphool, a resident of Seeto Guno and Mohinder Singh and Bohar Singh, residents of Muktsar district, were killed when lightning struck them while they were working into their fields. Kuldeep Singh alias Bagga, a 14 years old boy, died in Goniana region of Bathinda district and one women of nearby village died after lightening struck them. In Lambi, a person was reported to have sustained burn injuries after being struck by lightning. The rain and hailstorms have also brought miseries to farmers of this region, who have carried out sowing of cotton after facing difficulties on account of less availability of Bt cotton seeds and canal water for irrigating their fields as the cotton plants were razed to the ground. Ferozepur DC KK Yadav said he had asked the SDM, Abohar, to assess the loss. He added that if the loss was significant, a special girdawari would be carried out. Sukhdev Singh, Agriculture Officer, Abohar, said the quantum of loss could not be assessed at the moment. Ramesh Kumar Gupta, Executive Engineer, Irrigation, Abohar, said to save the irrigation channel from getting breached, the flow of water in them had been reduced to considerable extent. He added that about 500 cusecs of water from Sirhind canal had been diverted into Chandbhan drain through an escape channel. The squall was so strong that officials found it difficult to reach the spot where the distributaries had got breached. Malukpura distributary was also under threat, he added. The uprooted trees had blocked roads at many places on Abohar-Seeto Guno road and Abohar-Panniwala road. The size of hails, which hit the region, was unusually big. The rains would also cause delay in lifting of wheat bags.
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14-year-old girl killed
Bathinda, May 21 The girl belonged to a family of cattle rearers residing in the hutments along the canal near Paras Ram Nagar. The family was busy milking cows when the lightning struck at about 7 pm, eyewitnesses informed. The deceased's sister, survived with injuries in her eyes. The dead girl was identified as Aalmi (14), daughter of Mange Khan, a cancer patient, who was away at Bikaner for treatment.
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Cost of treatment deters cancer patients
Chauke (Bathinda), May 21 However, the women, over whom the disease threatens to cast its shadow, appeared to be oblivious of its implications. These women have lost many of their kin to this deadly disease but still seemed reluctant to go for early detection, unable to comprehend its benefits. Some present at the camp informed that they had come just because of the personal requests made by village youths, led by one Kulbir Singh Sidhu, who had visited each and every house of not only this village but also in nearby villages and urged women to visit the camp with folded hands. Were they not aware that early detection can ensure their survival for many more years? "It is not the disease that leads us to death. When we shall breathe our last is divinely ordained. When that time comes, we have to leave the world and the disease is just an excuse for this," said Balbir Kaur, a village woman in her sixties who was present at the camp. Her view was echoed by others. However, there were others who had a different view. "No doubt diagnosis is free at the camp but we dread the heavy expenditure incurred on the treatment. Earlier too, when asked to undergo detection tests, we tried to avoid it," some of the women present at the camp said. The global ambassador of the Roko Cancer, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, an UK-based NRI, who was personally supervising the camp, said, "It is not just our organization, all other agencies, including the state government as well as individuals, are required to make efforts to sensitize people about the benefits of early detection of cancer." Dhaliwal informed that the Roko Cancer had recently reached an agreement with the state government for 2011-12 to hold 15 free camps every month in Punjab. Besides, they were getting sponsorships from individuals, associations and clubs in the hinterland. He said, in the past one year, the mobile detection units diagnosed nearly 35,000 women in the state. Of this, mammography was conducted on as many as 7,202 while 472 women were found to be suffering from breast cancer. The number of suspect cases was pegged at 2,159, he added. Dhaliwal said the state government had agreed that all needy patients from Malwa, diagnosed with breast cancer, would get free treatment at the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot. Confirming this, Vice-chancellor, BFUHS, Dr SS Gill said free treatment was being offered to all the patients. English woman donates Rs one crore
Moga: An English woman, Peny Spear, also a trustee of Roko Cancer, has recently donated Rs one crore for making a fully equipped mobile breast cancer detection unit, which will be flagged off by senior SAD leader and former education minister Jathedar Tota Singh from Mehal village in Dharamkot area of Moga district on Sunday where a medical camp is also being organized to examine rural women for breast cancer. "This mobile unit will be based at Moga and will travel to villages in Punjab to create awareness with the help of Anganwari workers, health officials and local level NGOs and
panchayats,” said Kulwant Dhaliwal, the global ambassador of Roko Cancer. — Kulwinder Sandhu |
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Cotton plants wilt as temperature shoots up
Abohar, May 21 Though the state agriculture authorities claimed that the situation was not panicky, wilting of cotton crop was picking up every day as the mercury has been soaring continuously. The trend, if continued, could upset the state government's plan to bring more area under the cotton crop by diverting the paddy growers to cultivation of cotton. The agriculture authorities have been holding camps to motivate farmers to shift to cotton from paddy. The situation has reached a point where some of the farmers have ploughed their burnt cotton crop and would sow it again in the coming days. The farmers have suffered losses as they had sown expensive Bt cotton seeds first and again they would have to spend money for arranging Bt cotton seeds to sow cotton crop again in their fields. Rajwinder Singh, a farmer of Kundal village of this sub-division, said he had ploughed burnt wilted cotton plants in seven acres of land so far. If the temperature did not stabilise, he would have to plough cotton plants in more land. Another resident of Kundal village, Jaswinder Pal Singh, said he had ploughed cotton crop in two acres of land as the plants had wilted due to excessive temperature. Information gathered by the TNS revealed that instances connected with burning of cotton plants due to high temperature had surfaced in Bathinda, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Faridkot, Moga, Mansa and Barnala districts, which constituted cotton belt of Punjab. Sukhpreet Singh, a leading farmers of Bhai Ke Kera, said most of the farmers had adopted wait and watch approach. If the cotton plants died due to excessive temperature in a large number, they could go for paddy cultivation. Kirpal Singh, another farmer said now it would be difficult for them to make arrangements for the Bt cotton seeds to sow it again. He added that the farmers were forced to delay the cultivation of cotton crop as harvesting of wheat was delayed due to its delayed ripening. Jasbir Singh, Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture, Punjab, said he had not received any report in connection with large-scale wilting of cotton plants from any part of the cotton belt. He added that about four lakh hectares of area had been brought under the cotton crop so far. The farmers were expected to bring about 1.5 lakh hectares more area under cotton cultivation by the end of this month.
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Initiate action to give jobs to players: CM
Chandigarh, May 21 He categorically asked the department to clear all such pending cases. He instructed the department to contact three eligible sportspersons — Abhinav Bindra, Avneet Sidhu and Ronjan Sodhi — whose names had already been cleared by the Cabinet in its meeting held on November 3, 2010, for issuing appointment letters as group ‘A’ officers in departments of their choice. He also asked the department to immediately move a case to the Cabinet to seek exemption in the minimum educational requirements in the case of six sportspersons, who did not fulfil the prescribed qualifications.
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Wife among five held for killing man
Muktsar, May 21 Tarsem Singh was murdered by Arashdeep with the help of her paramour Kulwinder Singh alias Lucky and three contract killers. SSP Inder Mohan Singh said the other three accused, who were hired by Lucky for Rs one lakh for murdering Tarsem, were identified as Gurmeet Singh, Ginda Singh and Gurpreet Singh. Lucky had paid Rs 10,000 to the three accused as advance money. He added that all the accused had confessed to the crime. A case in this connection had already been registered under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC at the police station concerned, the SSP informed.
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Rajiv Gandhi remembered
Moga/Bathinda, May 21 A seminar was also organised on the occasion. Sukhwinder Singh Danny, state general secretary of the youth wing of Congress organised a blood donation camp at Buttar village. In another function, district president of the Congress Jagdarshan Kaur and other leaders paid homage to Rajiv Gandhi. In Bathinda, the district unit of the Congress (Rural) observed the ‘Balidan Divas’. A two-minute silence was observed by the Congress workers. President of the district unit of the party (Rural) Narinder Singh Bhuleria, Lakhwinder Singh Lakha, Gurbinder Ballo, Avtar Singh, Baljinder Thekedar, Kuldip Kumar, Rupinder Bindra and others remembered Rajiv Gandhi. Several party members donated blood at the Civil Hospital here. Members of the Rajiv Gandhi Lok Bhalai Manch, led by its chairman Dr Sat Pal Bhatheja, also paid tributed Rajiv Gandhi.
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Mansa cops solve 2 cases in 12 hours
Mansa, May 21 Mansa SSP HS Mann said the police recovered Rs 13 lakh out of the Rs 15 lakh, which were looted from Kuldeep Singh. In another case, the team recovered the truck and arrested one of the accused, identified as Jagdeep Singh, cleaner on the same trailer. One more accused Binder Singh, involved in the case, was yet to be arrested, Mann claimed. — TNS
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Pharmacists Assn plans to stage stir
Fazilka, May 21 All the pharmacists working in the health centres and civil hospital, Fazilka, attended the meeting and expressed resentment over the adamant and negative attitude of the Punjab Government towards their longpending demands. While addressing the meeting, Shashi Kant said in accordance with the decision of the Sangharsh Committee of the state unit of association, pharmacists throughout the state would stage protest dharnas and rallies before the offices of civil surgeons in the state on May 24. In Ferozepur district, the dharna and rally would be led by the state convener Ravinder Luthra. Kant disclosed that in the second phase of the agitation, over 2000 pharmacists working in Punjab would stage state-level protest rally before the office of Director, Health Services, on June 17.
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Bid to grab mission school’s land in Moga
Moga, May 21 DSP (City) Satpal Singh along with the SHO of the City-I police station reached the spot immediately and stopped the ongoing construction work. The DSP said he would inquire into the dispute. The school principal alleged that many influential persons had in the past also tried to grab some portions of the land belonging to the religious body. “There are many encroachments on our land. The administration should help remove the encroachments and hand over the portions of land back to the religious body,” he demanded. It has come to light that some members of the religious body in the past, in their own vested interests, had also leased out many portions of the religious body’s land to some influential persons, who by manipulating with the revenue authorities, further sold it to others.
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Bathinda, May 21 Chief Agriculture Officer, Bathinda, Paramjeet Singh Sandhu said DC S. Karuna Raju would inaugurate the camp while joint director of the state agriculture department Gursewak Singh Sandhu would preside over it. Sandhu said farmers would be informed about the Centre’s Atma scheme for their advantage. — TNS
Bathinda, May 21 Prof SM Bhatti, President of Punjab Ophthalmological Society, will be the chief guest. More than 50 delegates from Bathinda and adjoining areas are expected to participate in the seminar. — TNS
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The untimely rains, hailstorm and squall, which lashed this region late in the evening today, left a trail of destruction as five persons died after lightening struck them in Bathinda, Muktsar and Abohar regions.
Congress leaders paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 20th death anniversary in Moga today.Former health and medical education minister and senior Congress leader Dr Malti Thapar along with the local party leaders paid tributes to the former PM in the Rajiv Gandhi Auditorium at Dr Shyam Lal Thapar College of Nursing.
